The New York Islanders are coming off their second straight loss, their most recent one to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. Through 48 games played, the Islanders have only won 19 times. The Isles have surrendered 35 goals and gone 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. For a team in a hole, the desperation is not there. Where do the Islanders’ playoff hopes stand just past the halfway point of the NHL season?

Playing postseason hockey seems like a stretch for the Islanders at this point. The only likely way the Islanders can make it is in the last Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference. Even that is a reach. The Boston Bruins hold that spot, with the Islanders 20 points behind them.

Realistically, the Islanders will have to win at least 26 of their remaining 34 games with some a few overtime losses in the mix. That will give them around 100 points.

This means that the Islanders have to win three out of every four games they play. Even if they can do that, it would still mean teams ahead of them have to slow down and start losing. That’s just reality.

It has been done before. On Jan. 2, 2018, the St. Louis Blues were the worst team in hockey. The Blues posted a 15-18-4 record, good for 34 points, at just under the midway point of their season.

The Blues finished 45-28-9 with 99 points, made the playoffs and went on to win the Stanley Cup. This goes to show that it can still be done. Teams start slow but an unstoppable second-half can prevail.

It is hard to imagine the Islanders missing the playoffs after all of their success under head coach Barry Trotz. For a team that was a favorite to win the Stanley Cup, this season has been a tough pill to swallow. Unless the Islanders seriously tear up the league and teams ahead of them start losing, the playoffs aren’t possible for this season.

However, if there is a team that can make the playoffs after a horrendous first half, the Islanders can do it. It just seems unlikely at this point.

Jacob

Writer for Drive4Five covering the New York Islanders.